14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung’s VR headsets have certainly made the Galaxy S7 edge and Galaxy Note 7 more attractive on the market, following a trend that many smartphone manufacturers have started to adopt. And now it seems that the South Korean company is working on two new headsets.
During Thursday’s Virtual Reality Summit in San Diego, Samsung Electronics' vice president Dr. Sung-Hoon Hong announced that the company is working on not one, but two virtual reality headsets, according to Wearable Zone. He stated that the Gear VR 2 would arrive “in a short time,” but it remains to be seen specifically when it will make its debut.
The official added that Samsung enhanced the rendering engine on the headsets, which would improve the augmented reality technology. The Gear VR 3 could arrive next year, as the official suggested.
Samsung could partner with Magic Lens
During the presentation, Samsung’s vice president stated that the company is aiming for level three out of the four levels of augmented reality. This level allows users to directly interact with virtual experiences in the real world and it’s found on Google’s Tango and Microsoft’s HoloLens.
Level four of AR seems quite out of reach for most technology companies right now, seeing how it uses real light sources for implementing 3D shadows in virtual object representation. But level 3 is more accessible and Magic Leap has made quite a name for itself in this area. The current status of the commercial AR reaches level 2, which doesn’t allow interaction with physical space. As an example, Pokemon Go falls in level 2 category.
The official added that “Samsung’s hologram technology is really, really realistic. It looks really touchable.” The VP said that Samsung might be considering a collaboration with Magic Leap, as the South Korean company has yet to enter the AR market, while Magic Leap has lost some of its executives recently.